About the blogger

Alex Friedrich reports on higher education issues for MPR News. Among the stories he has covered: the fall of the Berlin Wall, aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, collapse of the I-35W bridge in Minneapolis, 2003 Moscow suicide bombing and 2004 presidential elections in the Republic of Georgia. He holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and a master’s in European political economy from the London School of Economics.

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What is the actual date of this document, Alex? Is it 10/3/2010 or earlier…

Anonymous

Sorry, Bill. No date. You see what I see. Unfortunately, it’s not just this one that’s undated. A number of e-mails have been redacted — almost wiped clean in some cases. I’m concerned, but need to look further.

Anonymous

There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that the President and Ms. Himle were in contact before she pulled the film. Thus he has been complicit in what the Star-Tribune has described, accurately I believe, as censorship. I asked him directly and in person whether he had been in contact with Ms. Himle before the film was pulled and he declined to answer my question. To throw her under the bus without admitting his own culpability in the matter is despicable.

Citydenizen

Folks on campus are aware of stories from staffers within University Relations that Himle has a history of intervening to shape U of M news and media relations activities, sometimes by quashing or significantly downplaying stories even after staff had invested time in developing them. It is curious that no one in the media is investigating the back story here … suggest you may want to look at Himle’s dismissals of several experienced and respected U Relations writers late last year.